Missteps in the Parks

Rangers who both work and live in parks receive some unusual after-hours phone calls, but this one was guaranteed to get my adrenalin flowing: The woman on the line was nearly hysterical, but her message got right to the point: "Come quick! There's been an explosion!"

We're all familiar with the admonition "Don't Drink and Drive," but similar advice applies if the "horsepower" involved is of the four-legged variety. Rescuers at the Buffalo National River had to contend with a heavily intoxicated man who was seriously injured after he—and his horse—fell over a cliff.

In the city, "don't jump from the subway" is good advice, but in Zion National Park, the caution is don't jump in the Subway. A hiker made an ill-advised leap in a remote location known as the Subway Route, and the resulting injury led to an unplanned night in the boonies and a rescue.

If dogs could talk, this one would have quite a tale to tell. The canine was inside a car which rolled over the edge of the caldera at Crater Lake National Park and plunged about 1,100 feet down the steep slope. What was left of the vehicle ended up in the lake, but incredibly, the dog escaped with only minor injuries.

An old myth took a different twist at Capitol Reef National Park recently when a canyoneer confirmed that getting into Pandora's Box can have unintended consequences, and it proved to be a lot easier to get into a tight spot that back out of it.

A climber making an ascent of Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park died in a fall of roughly 800 feet Friday, according to park officials.

The New York Times got a lot of mileage with its story this week about technology leading visitors into harm's way in national parks, but that's really not the case, is it? Wouldn't it be more correct to say people lead themselves into harm's way more often than not?

There's a happy ending to that search for a missing hiker in Denali National Park and Preserve: John MacGregor walked out of the wilderness Wednesday afternoon with some hikers he ran into.

One might think that people who are involved in illegal activities would try to avoid attracting the attention of the Proper Authorities, but fortunately for the sake of law and order, that's not always the case. Three cases of Dumb and Dumber from separate parks confirm that crime still doesn't pay.

A 29-year-old Rhode Island man high on Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park fell upwards of 300 feet to his death, park officials said Friday.

An angler from Iowa died in Yellowstone National Park after falling into the Yellowstone River near Mud Volcano, according to park officials.

Cool water can be awfully tempting on a hot summer day, but a group of young men walked away with citations -- and their lives -- after frolicking in Chilnualna Creek in Yosemite National Park.

There's another happy SPOT customer in the world today. A hiker who slid on a snowfield in Rocky Mountain National Park and broke his leg was able to summon rescuers with this pocket-sized emergency beacon.

A 23-year-old Arizona man was killed when he fell about 70 feet while hiking in a canyon at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

Another search-and-rescue operation in the National Park System has been scaled back due to a lack of success, this time in Mount Rainier National Park where a climber went missing Thursday.

After a week of fruitless searching, authorities at Joshua Tree National Park on Friday suspended a search for a Georgia man who disappeared on a hike.

A search was under way Friday for a 57-year-old climber missing on Mount Rainier, Mount Rainier National Park authorities said.

After five days of searching in 100-degree-plus weather in Joshua Tree National Park, searchers have no clues as to what happened to a 65-year-old Georgia man.

Swift currents and an uprooted tree proved a tricky combination for two Wyoming men, who found themselves needing a rescue from Grand Teton National Park rangers after their boat capsized in the Snake River.

A search was under way Friday evening for a woman seen falling into Virginia Creek in Glacier National Park.

Search efforts are ongoing in Yellowstone National Park for an Oklahoma man who is thought to have vanished into the park's backcountry during the long Memorial Day weekend.

A Belgian mountaineer leading an ascent up a technical section of Cassin Ridge on Mount McKinley in Denali National Park fell roughly 100 feet to his death when his anchor seemingly failed, park officials said Tuesday.

Searchers so far have been unable to find any sign of a 25-year-old Oklahoma man thought to be missing somewhere in the northern range of Yellowstone National Park, officials said Friday.

A 25-year-old Oklahoma man is thought to be missing in Yellowstone National Park, officials said Tuesday.

Two hikers who were exploring the backcountry of Glacier Bay National Park are recovering today from injuries sustained when ice from a calving glacier struck them.

Two men climbing in the Ruth Gorge area of Mount McKinley in Denali National Park and Preserve were killed when an avalanche swept down upon them, park officials said Monday.

Climbing rangers and helicopter pilots have been busy during the past week rescuing climbers on Mount McKinley in Denali National Park and Preserve.

Two Montana men ice climbing in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone in Yellowstone National Park apparently fell several hundred feet to their deaths Monday.

A day after a National Park Service employee died in a fall at Timpanogos Cave National Monument agency officials decided to halt cave tours through the weekend while they investigated the accident.

A French climber working his way up Mount McKinley fell to his death while trying to stop a sled holding his gear from sliding off a section of the West Buttress, according to Denali National Park and Preserve officials.